BACKGROUND Despite the effective antiretroviral treatment (ART) of HIV-infected individuals, HIV persists in a small pool. Central memory CD4+ T cells (Tcm) make a major contribution to HIV persistence. We found that unlike HLA-DR, CD38 is highly expressed on the Tcm of HIV-infected subjects receiving ART for?&gt;?5&nbsp;years. It has been reported that the half-life of total and episomal HIV DNA in the CD4+CD38+ T cell subset, exhibits lower decay rates at 12&nbsp;weeks of ART. Whether CD38 contributes to HIV latency in HIV-infected individuals receiving long-term ART is yet to be addressed. METHODS Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from the whole blood of HIV-infected subjects receiving suppressive ART. The immunophenotyping, proliferation and apoptosis of CD4+ T cell subpopulations were detected by flow cytometry, and the level of CD38 mRNA and total HIV DNA were measured using real-time PCR and digital droplet PCR, respectively. A negative binomial regression model was used to determine the correlation between CD4+CD38+ Tcm and total HIV DNA in CD4+ T cells. RESULTS CD38 was highly expressed on CD4+ Tcm cells from HIV infected individuals on long-term ART. Comparing with HLA-DR-Tcm and CD4+HLA-DR+ T cells, CD4+CD38+ Tcm cells displayed lower levels of activation (CD25 and CD69) and higher levels of CD127 expression. The proportion of CD38+ Tcm, but not CD38- Tcm cells can predict the total HIV DNA in the CD4+ T cells and the CD38+ Tcm subset harbored higher total HIV DNA copy numbers than the CD38- Tcm subset. After transfected with CD38 si-RNA in CD4+ T cells, the proliferation of CD4+ T cells was inhibited. CONCLUSION The current date indicates that CD4+CD38+ Tcm cells contribute to HIV persistence in HIV-infected individuals on long-term ART. Our study provides a potential target to resolve HIV persistence.BACKGROUND Accurate Anopheles species identification is key for effective malaria vector control. Identification primarily depends on morphological analysis of field samples as well as molecular species-specific identifications. During an intra-laboratory assessment (proficiency testing) of the Anopheles funestus group multiplex PCR assay, it was noted that Anopheles arabiensis can be misidentified as Anopheles leesoni, a zoophilic member of the An. funestus group. The aim of this project was, therefore, to ascertain whether other members of the Anopheles gambiae complex can also be misidentified as An. leesoni when using the standard An. funestus multiplex PCR. METHODS The An. funestus multiplex PCR was used to amplify DNA from An. gambiae complex specimens. These included specimens from the laboratory colonies and field samples from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Amplified DNA from these specimens, using the universal (UV) and An. leesoni species-specific primers (LEES), were sequence analysed. Additionar as possible prior to the use of appropriate PCR-based identification methods. Should there be doubt concerning field-collected specimens molecularly identified as An. leesoni, the An. gambiae multiplex PCR and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) can be used to eliminate false identifications.BACKGROUND It is well known that the biomechanical properties change after LASIK refractive surgery. One reason is the impact of flap creation on the residual stroma. The results have revealed that the change is closely related with the flap thickness in several studies. However, the quantitative relationships between the distributions of displacement and stress on the corneal surface and flap thickness have not been studied. The aim of the study was to quantify evaluate the biomechanical change caused by the LASIK flap. METHODS By building a finite element model of the cornea, the displacement, the stress and the strain on the corneal surface were analyzed. RESULTS The results showed that the corneal flap could obviously cause the deformation of the anterior corneal surface. For example, the displacement of the corneal vertex achieved 15?μm more than that without corneal flap, when the thickness of corneal flap was 120?μm thick. This displacement was enough to cause the change of aberrations in the human eyes. In the central part of the cornea, the stress on the anterior corneal surface increased with flap thickness. But the change in the stress on the posterior corneal surface was significantly less than that on the anterior surface. In addition, the stress in the central part of the anterior corneal surface increased significantly as the intra-ocular pressure (IOP) increase. Furthermore the increase of IOP had a clearly less effect on stress distribution at the edge of the cornea. Distributions of strain on the corneal surface were similar to those of stress. CONCLUSIONS The changes in the biomechanical properties of cornea after refractive surgery should not be ignored.BACKGROUND Elderly patients with vertebral hemangiomas are rare and might require surgery. Thus, the choice of surgery for these lesions remains controversial because of the rarity of these lesions. This study aimed to analyze the clinical efficacy of the intraoperative injection of absorbable gelatin sponge mixed with cement followed by spinal decompression to treat the elderly with typical vertebral hemangiomas. The risk factors for hemangioma recurrence were investigated through a literature review. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 13 patients with typical aggressive hemangiomas between January 2009 and January 2016. Of these patients, 7 were treated with spinal decompression combined with intraoperative vertebroplasty (Group A), and 6 patients were treated with decompression with intraoperative vertebroplasty and absorbable gelatin sponge (Group B). The general data and perioperative data of the patients were compared. Patients were followed up for at least 3?years, and postoperative complications and recurrence rates were recorded and compared. RESULTS All patients had typical aggressive hemangiomas. The average age of all patients was 64.4?±?3.3?years. The preoperative data did not differ significantly between the two groups (P?&gt;?0.05). The blood loss of groups A and B was 707.1?±?109.7?ml and 416.7?±?103.3?ml, respectively (P?=?0.003) (P?=?0.003), and the average surgery durations were 222?±?47.8?min and 162?±?30.2?min, respectively (P?=?0.022). The average follow-up duration was 62?±?19?months, and no cases of recurrence were found at the final follow-up assessment. CONCLUSIONS Multimodal treatment significantly alleviated the clinical symptoms of elderly patients with typical aggressive vertebral hemangiomas. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/tepp-46.html Intraoperative absorbable gelatin sponge injection is a safe and effective way to reduce blood loss and surgery duration.